Mental Health Services ‘Failing’

September 29th, 2006

The Healthcare Commission has admitted that more needs to be done for those with mental health problems, “there is a greater need for access to talking therapies – such as counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy or psychoanalysis.”

Healthcare Commission chief executive Anna Walker said, “The majority of people who suffer from mental illness receive their treatment in their own community, not in hospital. They want to remain in the community and this helps them get better. But for care in the community to work for the mentally ill, more access is needed to talking therapies and out-of-hours crisis care”.

Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, said, “We’re concerned about the large number of people who don’t have access to basic treatments, like cognitive behavioural therapy, which is simply not available in many areas of the country.”